"This is the baseball."

No word on Wednesday; blog on break

Eric Wedge didn’t announce who will start Wednesday’s game. I had speculated about Kirk Saarloos, but he pitched today for the Clippers. Today’s start was originally slated to go to Jeremy Sowers, so he might be a safe pick, given that the Indians were pleased with the adjustments he made this spring. Aaron Laffey’s probably not a candidate, having pitched Saturday.

Stay glued to Indians.com for the updates on this and all things Indians. I’m not making the trip to Kansas City, so the blog is getting a break for a few days.

I’ll catch up with you from the Big Apple later this week.

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Sowers was only scheduled to pitch today if you don’t factor in the rainout…. with the rainout, the Clippers went with Ohka in the second game of a DH yesterday so as not to throw their rotation out of whack.

My guess is Jackson’s the favourite to get the nod on Wednesday in favour of Lewis…. with an off-day on the 20th, they’d only need one spot start from Jackson for the time being.

The way I see it is, the only reason they haven’t announced who’s going to take Lewis’s place is they don’t know if they’re gonna need a long man (Jackson) before Weds…. if they do they can use Jackson as a long reliever and they’ve set Laffey up as an option for Weds with him only throwing 60 pitches on Sat. If not, I figure they’ll use Jackson for a spot start on Weds and keep Chulk in the pen.

Sowers was only scheduled to pitch today if you don’t factor in the rainout…. with the rainout, the Clippers went with Ohka in the second game of a DH yesterday so as not to throw their rotation out of whack.

My guess is Jackson’s the favourite to get the nod on Wednesday in favour of Lewis…. with an off-day on the 20th, they’d only need one spot start from Jackson for the time being.

The way I see it is, the only reason they haven’t announced who’s going to take Lewis’s place is they don’t know if they’re gonna need a long man (Jackson) before Weds…. if they do they can use Jackson as a long reliever and they’ve set Laffey up as an option for Weds with him only throwing 60 pitches on Sat. If not, I figure they’ll use Jackson for a spot start on Weds and keep Chulk in the pen.

Sowers was only scheduled to pitch today if you don’t factor in the rainout…. with the rainout, the Clippers went with Ohka in the second game of a DH yesterday so as not to throw their rotation out of whack.

My guess is Jackson’s the favourite to get the nod on Wednesday in favour of Lewis…. with an off-day on the 20th, they’d only need one spot start from Jackson for the time being.

The way I see it is, the only reason they haven’t announced who’s going to take Lewis’s place is they don’t know if they’re gonna need a long man (Jackson) before Weds…. if they do they can use Jackson as a long reliever and they’ve set Laffey up as an option for Weds with him only throwing 60 pitches on Sat. If not, I figure they’ll use Jackson for a spot start on Weds and keep Chulk in the pen.

Sowers was only scheduled to pitch today if you don’t factor in the rainout…. with the rainout, the Clippers went with Ohka in the second game of a DH yesterday so as not to throw their rotation out of whack.

My guess is Jackson’s the favourite to get the nod on Wednesday in favour of Lewis…. with an off-day on the 20th, they’d only need one spot start from Jackson for the time being.

The way I see it is, the only reason they haven’t announced who’s going to take Lewis’s place is they don’t know if they’re gonna need a long man (Jackson) before Weds…. if they do they can use Jackson as a long reliever and they’ve set Laffey up as an option for Weds with him only throwing 60 pitches on Sat. If not, I figure they’ll use Jackson for a spot start on Weds and keep Chulk in the pen.

I guess it would make some sense for Jackson to get the start, since they’d have to send someone down to call someone up, right? And given the state of the bullpen, I’m not entirely sure who that would be.

On the other hand, this would be a good chance to get another look at Sowers or Huff, which might be a good move, considering the state of our rotation.

Considering this stint as a starter will only last a few weeks I wouldn’t mind seeing Huff but I doubt that happens. However, I would be in favor of using Jackson for a 3-5 starts. When Lewis comes back from the DL to reclaim his spot, you have to send down Jackson because of Chuck’s May 15th buyout clause.

Considering this stint as a starter will only last a few weeks I wouldn’t mind seeing Huff but I doubt that happens. However, I would be in favor of using Jackson for a 3-5 starts. When Lewis comes back from the DL to reclaim his spot, you have to send down Jackson because of Chuck’s May 15th buyout clause.

I’ve tried to submit this post 3 times so if it comes in multiples I apologize.

Considering this stint as a starter will only last a few weeks I wouldn’t mind seeing Huff but I doubt that happens. However, I would be in favor of using Jackson for a 3-5 starts. When Lewis comes back from the DL to reclaim his spot, you have to send down Jackson because of Chuck’s May 15th buyout clause.

Not at all related to the above post but doesn’t really fit with anything else. Apparently Manny wants to come back to C-town and play with Thome again. How big of a price break would he give us because I doubt we will be in a position to pay him like he likes. Also where would we be able to fit Thome in? Hafner seems to be back for real, so not at DH, could he play 1st again? Yeah anyway I doubt that either one comes back much less both. But fun to speculate and envision a line-up with Hafner, Victor, Grady, Manny, and Thome. Plus it is nice to see that we are such a great place to play to the point that Manny and Thome want to come back. Seems like we have a decent chance of getting the Tribe hat on these two if they get into the Hall of Fame.

Yeah i wouldn’t mind Manny if he still has juice left at the end of this year. But Thome really doesn’t fit with what we currently have. Manny might fit in if Choo leaves for his army duty and Laporta and Brantley are not yet ready to come up. Furthermore without Thome, Loften, Hershiser, ect, I doubt Manny would have as much fun as he thinks he would. He doesn’t know these guys and this is an entirely different clubhouse. Can someone say chemistry problems? All that aside it would still be fun to see these two in an Indians uniform again just from a nostalgia stand point as his was the Indians team of my youth.

But Anthony: I wanted your take on the new and improved Kauffman Stadium. From what I saw on Friday while I sitting through the first 90 minutes of the rain delay and watching the Royals on the Progressive Field scoreboard, it looks pretty cool.

Seriously, what are you thinking Lissi? When are Cleveland fans gonna get it. Thome and Manny are not coming back EVER!! Why would you even want 2 over paid old men. I love Thome but it’s not 96 invest in pitching, and Manny well he’s a club house cancer. Where are you reading this crap, really?

Seriously, what are you thinking Lissi? When are Cleveland fans gonna get it. Thome and Manny are not coming back EVER!! Why would you even want 2 over paid old men. I love Thome but it’s not 96 invest in pitching, and Manny well he’s a club house cancer. Where are you reading this crap, really?

Uh, klcoey? Lissi is the one who posted about the 500 Internal Server Error. She didn’t say anything about Thome or Manny.
For that matter, no one who DID talk about them suggested it was for real. It was just for S&G’s.
I enjoy coffee, too, but you might want to cut back a bit.

I’ve been reading this blog/ mail bags for a couple years now, and I often see names like Manny, Thome, and other “glory 90’s day” players. Pretty much what I was trying to say is we’ve got a great team now. I think Shapiro is a real genius. He knows talent and how to spend money. So like I said before invest in pitching not some old over paid club house cancer. What I was asking was, where are you reading/ hearing this? PS never claimed to be a mind reader just misread the post. Sorry about that Lissi.

I was getting it from http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4063800 Furthermore I really do not think it would ever work ($), nor probably be good for the team in the long run. However it would still be tons of fun as Omar, Thome, Manny, Alomar, Loften, ect, was the team I grew up with and helped me become a Cleveland fan. I mean really who could say they wern’t excited when Loften came back to the tribe? That was so cool and provided a great feel to the games.

Additionally, bern 1025, I will be at the Indians/Royals game so if you really wanted a take on the new K (even if it isn’t Andy’s) I can help you out. Planning on going both tonight and Wednesday. I love it when my team comes to town.

It’s cool klocey. Just thought i’d let everyone know my real feelings. haha
This is apparently the talk of the baseball world, which I think is ridiculous. Most people know it probably won’t happen. It’s silly.

Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever read anyone seriously ask for Manny, Thome, et al. to return. Omar gets mentioned a lot, sure, but it’s more along the lines of “Cabrera reminds me of Omar, he should be our short stop” type of thing.

I think we generally stick with the Grady, Victor, Peralta, and Pronk core around these parts.

And while I don’t think anyone seriously thinks he’ll come back, I think most Cleveland fans just find the fact that Manny said something nice about Cleveland to be noteworthy. With so many players using Cleveland as a stepping stone to the “big markets,” it’s nice to see someone actually appreciate Cleveland for what it is, and for the environment we have.

The upgraded Kaufman stadium is pretty sweet. It was always a nice place to catch a game. Good sightlines, easy to trade up, but the concourses were crowded, there was very little new technology, nothing but fountains in the outfield, and for those that weren’t into baseball little to do. While the fountains had a nice Kansas City tie (KC is the ‘city of fountains’, they are everywhere around town) it left something to be desired, it just looked empty. Fans couldn’t catch home runs unless it was right down the line. What they have done is a lot. Last year they upgraded their scoreboard which was sweet, but this off-season they doubled the width of the concourses, added a shell over the backside of the stadium to cover up the ugly concrete, filled the outfield with things to do and see (a royals hall of fame a sports bar, batting cages, a carousel, a put-put course, ect.), but most importantly they added seats to left field and adding standing room spots in right fitting them around the existing fountains. I watched the game from right today and found it to be excellent. The ballpark is great now when I would have only previously rated it above average. It was a well needed facelift and should last a while. Having fans in the outfield is great and long over due, well done royals.

Thanks indiansfan for your critique on the upgraded Kauffman. I also noticed last night it looked (in places) a little like Comerica, and not just with the merry-go-round. When I’m rich and have vacation time (insert sarcasm here) I might add that as a destination on my list of stadiums I want to visit. Hope our team shows up for the final two games in the series…

Thanks indiansfan! I can’t wait to see it in May. I’ve always loved the K, one of my favorite stadiums. I’ve only been to a few though so that may not be saying a lot.
I second that bern1025 here’s hoping the Indians figure something out tonight and tomorrow.
Melissa

klcoey, I say this as a total Shapiro supporter because he has pulled off some great trades in his day undoubtedly and restocked our farm system twice in under a decade. However, his track record speaks for itself. He overvalues his own talent hindering his desire to make trades, cannot accurately gauge his own talent pool of prospects and has a better knack for evaluating the talent on other teams rather than his own. As an educated fan I do not think that anyone can disagree with that. His free agent signings are wretched and besides the future potential from the past 2 years his drafting is abysmal. For every diamond in the rough he finds, like Juan Gonzalez circa 2001 (not 2005) and Kevin Millwood, there is a David Dellucci counterpart. His FA hits tend to be one year rental deals (b/c we are a small-mid market team). His mistakes tend to be multi-year blowups. We can count on one hand the home grown talent that has significantly affected the ML roster in the past ten years. For every Asdrubal Cabrera-Eduardo Perez deal there is a Brandon Phillips-Jeff Stevens trade. Admit the bad the comes with the good. Shapiro is definitely an innovator along with Billy Beane. I truly believe that. But lets not ignore the bluders.

Both Wedge and Shapiro (especially) have a soft spot for Aaron Laffey. Besides May of 2008 Laffey has shown me nothing as his stats clearly indicate. The fact that Laffey was “wasn’t particularly pleased when we sent him out” sounds like a guy that is trying to rest of his laurels of May ’08. Wake up and smell the coffee son. You’re a 4-A pitcher just like Jeremy Sowers. The two best pitching prospects the Indians have are David Huff and Hector Rondon, and not in that order. If the latter name is foreign to you, get to know him quickly.

and can someone PLEASE tell me why Tony Graffanino got a start ahead of Josh Barfield? Why have the kid play the hot corner in spring training and then sit him on the bench in favor of Graffanino? I mean seriously. Why do Wedge and Shapiro have the patience of Ghandi for their (obviously) favorite players, particularly when they struggle, only to show others the back of their hands? Barfield has been ruined in Cleveland by these two. Good to see Cabrera has as many hits as strikeouts so far this season. Well done. There’s another player with a 4-A hitter’s resume and a ML quality glove.

am, don’t look past the fact that they’re bringing up Laffey on short rest — but that’s okay, because he only threw 60 pitches because he got PULLED from his start in Columbus after giving up 5 runs in 3 and 1/3! By contrast, Huff is on full rest (an extra day, in fact) and gave up four runs in five innings in his debut in Columbus. So why not give Huff that shot?
Then again, the way our rotation is pitching, all of them will probably get called up at some point!

Graffanino and Cabrera both had better springs than Barfield, though. And, unfortunately for Barfield, with Crowe on the field, he’s the only speed left on the bench, so they can’t start him in case they need him to run.
Check out the Clippers box scores. I don’t think Shapiro or Wedge are particularly comfortable with Cabrera’s bat, either — which is why Valbuena is getting so much attention in AAA.

amseeley – my thoughts exactly! and why did they even bother moving Josh to the outfield during spring training to just bench him for the “second coming” in the form of Trevor Crowe?
Please – can we trade Josh somewhere so he can have a chance and show people that he was good. (Gutierrez, Crisp, Gerut…) I am getting REALLY tired of these manufactured God-sends who show up for a month and are declared the future of the franchise. They shoved Michael Aubrey down our throats, they did the same with Brad Snyder too. And now its time to jump on the Trevor Crowe train? Thanks, but no thanks…. I’m still waiting for Francisco & Choo to show me they belong.

Although never living in Cleveland, I have been an avid Indians fan since 1950 at the age of nine. It is beyond me that the current ownership has so little regard for the fans of the Indians that they would let this horrible pitching staff go into the 2009 season. The fault is not that of the manager nor the GM. The fault lies with the stinginess of Mr Dolan. I live in NYC and I have seen what his brother has done to sports here. Although in a different way, it is being done to the Indians. Look at the stands at “Jacobs” Field. Is this the same team that had so many years of capacity attendance? I know that Eric Wedge and/or Mark Shapiro will get the blame for what has been a week & 1/2 debacle, but the real reason, fans of the Indians, lies with the owner. Stay home and protest.

I must acknowledge the submissions of bern and LACF (this will be my shorthand abbreviation for you losangelesclevelandfan). Bern, you can add Adam Miller onto your list as well. I am a huge fan of following prospects’ development since the Bartolo Colon trade so the injuries to Aubrey, Crowe, Miller et. al have been unfortunate. On my ESPN profile I constructed what I thought would be the Indians roster in 2013! Also ask yourself Bern where Josh is going to play, if he does at all, considering the infield and outfield we have set at Columbus. LACF, I agree with you an the skepticism on the Laffey decision. Wedge’s rationale of Laffey being the last contender with Lewis was less the satisfactory to me. Finally in response to russellmahtsr, it is obvious that Larry Dolan severely overpaid for this franchise and doesn’t have the funds to run it properly. I agree with you 100% and it depresses me. The days of the ’90s 455 straight sellouts is over. The reality of it is that the Browns are back and this is a football town. When they were gone the Indians were great AND there was no avenue besides baseball for Clevelanders to fill the sports void (in the pre-LeBron Cavaliers era). Here’s hoping our beloved Indians turn it around.

I’m actually fine with all the attention that buys like Aubrey and Crowe get, I just wish that, when it’s needed, we’d pull the trigger on trading a few guys like that. As AM said earlier, we seem really stingy when it comes to dealing prospects. I know that the FO will get yelled at if they trade away someone who will be great elsewhere, but drastic times call for drastic measures.
But let’s not re-write history here. Barfield was given every chance to play every day at the big league level. This isn’t a Brandon Phillips situation. And it’s not like he showed the Tribe anything in AAA last season, either. He seems like a nice guy, but he’s yet to prove that his first season was anything but a fluke (or the result of less impressive NL pitching).
I think it’s pretty clear, at this point, that if we can remain even single digits back by mid-season, we’re going to have to actually pull the trigger and deal some prospects for some pitching — maybe even deal a guy like Shoppach. We’re just going to have to take more chances.

I don’t feel like reading 40 responses so if this is repetitive of what has been said sorry. The biggest issues:

Is it just me or has Grady struck out to start the game at least 6 times this season. If it’s all about at-bats once the game gets started why not bat Choo first since he is hitting the ball.

It is obvious this team is trying to be patient. They need to stop. They get meatballs which the take every time to go 0-1, then breaking ball which they swing, 0-2 and eventually striking out. I know we have the most walks in the league but they need to stop striking out 10 times a game, it’s embarrassing. Some pitchers don’t deserve 10 K’s a game.

Why is Wedge messing with the lineup every single game? I know it’s early but we had an extended spring training so everyone should have gotten their at-bats.

as much as I want to see our Tribe win every game I must say that Laffey’s outing was bitter sweet to me. Sweet to finally see a starter not give up the game in the first 2 innings. Bitter because now I will have to read more from AC about his (and the organization’s) lovefest for Laffey. Nostradamus calling on line 2 please…

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